FM: protests in Ukraine harm Kiev’s talks with Brussels and Moscow

KIEV, December 14 (Itar-Tass) - Protest actions in Ukraine are detrimental to the interests of the state and of each Ukrainian citizen, Foreign Minister Leonid Kozhara said in the Friday night talk show Shuster Live on the Inter TV channel.

“The way I see it today, such mass aggressive demonstrations harm us a lot. I do understand these people. I do understand what they demonstrated for in Independence Square. But each such demonstration is already harming the interests of the state and each Ukrainian,” Kozhara said.

The demonstrators’ demands ran counter to the authorities’ determination to negotiate more acceptable conditions of Ukraine’s association agreement with the EU.

“We would like to negotiate a compensation, some technical and financial assistance to Ukraine. In the meantime, protest demonstrators are saying that we do not need anything of the sort, that the signature should be put to the agreement right away. In Brussels we are being asked: what is it you are asking for?” Kozhara said.

In his opinion, the same thing happens in Moscow.

“We go there and say: we’ve got to resume trade and we would like to have a different price of gas. And we hear in reply: there are people demonstrating. Will you sort things out with them first?” Kozhara said.